Chronicle on Cuba - February 2004

Terrorism

February 11: A Yemeni captive at the Guantanamo Bay prison has acknowledged he was Osama bin Laden's $200-a-month driver in Afghanistan, but asserts he was neither a member of al-Qaida nor a terrorist, a newspaper reported. Salim Ahmed Salim Hamdan, 34, is being held in isolation at the military prison in Cuba in segregated accommodations for prisoners facing possible military tribunals, his lawyer, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift, told the press. (The Miami Herald, 11/2/04)

February 12: Spanish police will fly to Cuba to collect the only Spaniard held prisoner in the US military camp at Guantanamo Bay, Justice Minister Jose Maria Michavila said. Hamed Abderrahman Ahmad is one of four Guantanamo prisoners who Spanish High Court Judge Baltasar Garzon wants brought back to Spain as part of his investigation of al Qaeda. (Reuters, 12/2/04)

February 13: The United States expressed its willingness to strike agreements with other nations concerning the extradition and prosecution of suspected members of Al Qaeda and the Taliban being held at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said his government is talking to other countries about turning over suspects. Rumsfeld spoke about the transfer to those attending a meeting of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, assuring them that Washington would accelerate the process and repatriate the greatest number of prisoners possible. (EFE, 13/2/04)

February 13: The postponed trial of four individuals accused of plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro during the 2000 Ibero-American Summit in Panama is now set for March. "The court has more than enough proof," said plaintiff attorney Julio Berrios in declarations to the press. He added, "In the hands of Panamanian Justice are 43 volumes containing thousands of pages of evidence and testimony. Prosecuting the case represents a matter of honor for the Panamanian Justice System." (Prensa Latina, 13/2/04)

February 24: The Pentagon charged two suspected associates of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden being held at its Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison with conspiracy to commit war crimes, the first such action against detainees there. Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul, a Yemeni, and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, of Sudan, were charged with conspiring with bin Laden to murder, destroy property and commit terrorism, according to a statement posted on the Defense Department's Web site. (Bloomberg, 24/2/04)

February 24: Rogelio Cruz, defense lawyer for Luis Posada Carriles has “deliberately” provoked a hostile environment in order to gain Judge Enrique Paniza’s withdrawal from the upcoming trial. The proposal is that the trial judge should “not be familiar” with the DA’s report or the “evidence presented and the object of evidence to be presented,” the Panamanian district attorney Arquímedes Sáez Castillo, who is directing the proceedings, informed Granma International. (Granma International, 24/2/04)